Dear Bookseller, Hope this finds you well. In this issue, along with news you can use and a link to apply for our $500 We Love Bookstores Grant, we’re joined by mystery author Kait Carson, who shares thoughts about the writer’s life inspired by a moment at Bogan Books in Fort Kent, Maine. Are you a list maker? Mystery List Maker Extraordinaire Janet Rudolph takes us back to the beginnings of her website and blog, both of which are chock full of lists on all things mystery. Feel free to check them out when you need inspiration for a display or have a particularly thorny mystery reader’s question. |
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The Gifted Writer by Kait Carson |
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Last week I treated myself to some shopping at Bogan Books, our local indie bookstore. The store is arranged in two rooms. The front room holds the checkout, various items of interest, and the bulk of the books. The rear, where you’ll usually find me, has the mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels. I was checking out the new releases when I heard a woman say, “Oh, try this series, she is such a gifted writer.” I looked around the mystery room. No one was there. The voice had to be coming from the front of the store. Curious, I peeked through the entry. Much to my chagrin, (and delight since business was obviously good) I spotted four pairs of shoppers. All had books in hand. It was impossible to determine who made the gifted writer comment. The overheard remark made me wonder how the unknown author might feel. Gratified, and perhaps a bit amused. I strongly suspect that every writer is gifted. The gift lies in the way an author selects and strings words together. The mechanics if you will. The innate ability to mix a jumble of words into a pleasing and satisfying stew that imparts information, elicits emotion, and makes the reader want more. Yes, that is a gift. So, why would an author feel amused? To acknowledge only the gift is a little like believing the author waved a magic wand over the keyboard and the story sprang forth. Not happening. The story evolves through years of study of the craft. There is scene and sequel to master, building a world for your characters that is believable. The characters themselves must be dynamic. Then there are the ever-changing conventions of genre to learn and adopt. All of that is tradecraft. And it’s hard work. No author wants the craft to show. In a good story, craft appears seamless and disappears behind the gift of words. After all, no one wants to see the sausage made. The unknown reader paid the author the compliment of believing the act of writing came easily. The author, on the other hand, might quote Ernest Hemingway. There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. As any writer will tell you, how you hide the blood is where the art and craft of writing collide. Kait Carson writes tropical mysteries with a south Florida beat. From Miami’s concrete corridors rimmed by pastel high rises to the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys, the rules, as they say, are different. The Miami set Catherine Swope mysteries are available from Amazon. The Hayden Kent Mysteries, set in the Fabulous Florida Keys, are scheduled for release in time for the holidays. Kait is currently hard at work on the Southernmost Secrets series set in and around Key West. After a long career as a Miami paralegal Kait and her pilot husband did the opposite of what most people do. They relocated from Florida to the Crown of Maine, where they live on 167 acres with their three cats and six small birds. Nary a palm tree in sight. Instagram: kaitcarson2 Twitter: @kaitcarson |
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List Making by Janet Rudolph |
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I’ve always been a list maker. I’m a type A person. I like things organized. Many years ago, I was teaching in several extension programs in the Bay Area. To make the courses intriguing to potential students, I came up with my own reading lists. My first class was on Women in Science Fiction. That was a fun reading list to put together, but since my true love was mystery, my next class was the Female Sleuth in Fiction. 10 books/10 weeks. To keep the courses continuing (and make a living), I ventured into other subjects such as Academic Mysteries, Architectural Mysteries, San Francisco Mysteries, Music Mysteries, and more. You see where this is going. At the same time, I created the Mystery Readers Journal, and naturally I decided to make it, too, thematic in content with issues on Art Mysteries, Music, History, Private Eyes, England, New York, etc. In order to solicit articles and author essays for the Journal, I started keeping lists of books and authors on many different subjects. The Journal is now in its 37th year with four issues of 90+ pages each per year. For the blog Mystery Fanfare, though, I started keeping lists of mysteries set during holidays: New Year’s, Mother’s Day, Earth Day, Christmas, Veteran’s Day, Tax Day, etc. Occasionally I throw in different lists such as Librarian Mysteries, Book Mysteries, Birthday Mysteries, and other fun subjects. I’ve found that list making is a way for me to categorize my many interests—and something to share with readers, writers, and librarians. |
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It’s easy to apply for the $500 Sisters in Crime We Love Bookstores Grant Here's the application: Thank you for all you do for your community. Remember, Sisters in Crime loves bookstores. Best wishes, Robin Agnew We Love Bookstores Coordinator Sisters in Crime is the premier crime writing association focused on equity and inclusion in our community and in publishing. Our 4,500+ members enjoy access to tools to help them learn, grow, improve, thrive, and reinvent if necessary. They also gain a community of supportive fellow writers and readers, both peers to share the peaks and valleys of writing, and mentors to model the way forward. |
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Sisters in Crime hosts LIVE webinars each month. Webinars last 60-90 minutes depending on the topic and the audience questions! These webinars are open to all. |
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We've put our member books in a spreadsheet that we'll update every month, and send as part of this newsletter. This month's releases are on a separate worksheet. Feel free to sort by author name, book title, or author location. |
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